Room For Much Needed Improvement
by Casey Richey on Jun 5, 2009 10:53 PM CDT
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PrintI'll keep it short with any form of an introduction and get straight to it: these are some of the things I have seen in the series so far and some suggested changes. 3 offense, 3 defense, here we go.
Offensive Woes
This is the same old story. Unstoppable offense meets immovable defense. Too cliche? Yeah, I thought so too but in the end it's the truth. We saw it happen against Anaheim as the Ducks' pressing defenseman and relentless backchecking forwards made life difficult for Detroit scorers. In the end, the Wings were able to solve the D and Jonas Hiller. Not to discredit Marc-Andre Fleury's performance thus far but Hiller played far better than Fleury has but didn't have nearly the offensive cast that MAF does. So how can the Wings crack the scoring problems that have developed?
- Get Marian Hossa to the slot: Hossa has been guilty in this series of persistently shooting from bad angles on the perimeter. These low percentage shots are only contributing to pucks the other way as Fleury is routinely stopping them with ease. How many goal in the playoffs has Hossa scored from these parts you ask? A gooseegg in that column. How many has he cored from the slot? All 6 have come in the slot or a result of him moving slightly out of it. The Pens aren't making the slot an easy place to occupy for an extended period of time but if he can move in and out, he can make a difference. He's not the biggest guy on the team but probably has the most strength with the puck and needs to start using that strength to score.
- That Pavel Datsyuk guy: Yes, I know he is yet to play a game in the series. If Datsyuk comes back for Game 5 though, he can be an immediate impact not necessarily in the goal column but the assist one. Detroit improved in the face-off circle in Game 4 but Datsyuk could bring even added improvement in the circle and the Wings can get back to playing puck possession. Probably Datsyuk's biggest asset is his selflessness and he will constantly give up the puck if he thinks a teammate has a slightly better chance at a shot on goal. If he can get to distributing the puck early in his return, the Pens defense will have to spread out and respect the return of the Wings passing.
- Henrik Zetterberg getting some time in the offensive zone: So far this series, Hank has virtually been a third defensive man and has had to play back further on offense in the event of a quick breakout. Zetterberg has been held to 3 or fewer shots in 3 of 4 games due to his responsibilities defensively. Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily want Hank to just fire away but he also has one of the best shots on the team and can score at any time. He can also make that back breaking pass to a teammate too, something he has been limited in opportunities to do so. Even though Pavel won't be 100% in Game 5, he will be able to take some of the defensive responsibilities off of Zetterberg' shoulders and give him a little bit more energy.
- Brad Stuart or Niklas Kronwall: (or both) need to lay a Penguins player flat on his back. The hitting game has been sorely missed and both Kronwall and/or Stuart can change the complexion of that with one hit. Both are capable of making devastating clean hits and have shown it in these playoffs--just ask RJ Umberger or Martin Havlat. If these guys can get the hitting going, they can perhaps inspire the rest of the team to do the same and finally get the Penguins to be forced to respect and expect a hit everytime they have the puck. Do this and the Pens can become sloppy and force passes before they are necessary.
- Get back to the basics: some, if not all, of the guys have gotten "too cutesy" trying to make pretty passes to clear the zone. Get it out, regroup, and don't give up the blueline. Far too many times I've counted 3 or more Wings players playing far back in the defensive zone and allowing the Pittsburgh rush to just waltz in untouched. Get guys upfront and force them to dump and chase. I'd much rather see them battle for possession in the zone than just walk in with it already established.
- For Stanley's sake, somebody cover Evgeni Malkin: I'm getting tired of looking in the box score and seeing "Evgeni Malkin" under assists or goals. I know he's a great player but he can be stopped. With 35 points in the playoffs--and the lamest celebration--Malkin has established himself as a great playoff player. Malkin can be shut down (or at least slowed down) by putting a big body on him like Johan Franzen, Marian Hossa and alternating a big defender like Jonathan Ericsson or Brad Stuart. Ericsson's probably not the best idea given his propensity to take penalties but if Malkin is forced to use his size and strength instead of just being allowed to do as he pleases, there could be a slowdown in his production.
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By the way
I agree with you 100%….they need to stop Malkin. They also need to keep Crosby at bay. Maybe they should go back to what they did last year against Malkin.
One other thing
I think Abdelkader is awesome and should have played game 4. Helm is playing great hockey too. The Wings can’t afford to not go with the hot hands right now.
malkin was sick and injured last year
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on Jun 6, 2009 12:28 AM CDT up reply actions
I sent Malkin my cold, hopefully he'll catch it in time !!
Why does it seem like everybody (outside of Detroit) is ready to hand the Cup over to the Pens for winning 2 home games?
It's not THAT you lost, it's HOW you lost.
Hi everyone,
We’re pulling for you here in Philly, as you probably know. I think, and I hope, that you can get the job done. But even though the Wings have home-ice advantage, it’s not going to be easy. At best, you can only hope that the home team wins every game this series. While the Wings did a good job keeping the Pens in check during the first two games, the Pens had some definite surges where they were the dominant team. They found a few chinks in your armor in Game Three. I wasn’t concerned after that game, but I am now.
Pittsburgh is the healthier, faster team right now, and it showed in Game Four. Even though the Wings controlled the third period for the most part. the Pens played excellent team defense and Fleury was not to be denied. They did that to us in round one and they’re still doing it now.
If the Red Wings are to win, Osgood will have to steal a game the way Fleury has done all throughout the playoffs. Datsyuk needs to come back and be a factor, and Zetterberg and Hossa need to find ways to score. Helm and Abdelkader are playing very well but you need your big guns to get going.
Perhaps more importantly, you need to stop Malkin somehow. He is a man on a mission right now. I cannot remember the last time I saw one player so determined to carry his team. It is easier to rattle Crosby than Malkin – if you guard Crosby the way you did in the first two games, you shouldn’t have to worry about him as much.
But the best way to stop them both is to get back to your puck-possession game. Pitt scored on the rush in Game Four, but throughout the series most of their chances have come when they’ve been able to set up in the offensive zone and sustain pressure. They cycle the puck as well as anybody, and their skilled forwards are always a threat to score.
I know I’m probably stating a lot of obvious things here, but I wanted to clarify exacly why so many people are favoring the Pens now – they’ve figured out how to play their game against you, and it’s working very well for them. The Red Wings have the talent to overcome this, certainly – but after seeing what transpired in Game Four, one can only wonder how much gas Detroit has left in the tank.
Good luck in Game Five. Please win.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
God only knows.
We have mixed feelings about that here. Emery is skilled, but he’s also got a few screws loose. Biron is a likable guy, but he is inconsistent. He’s in his early 30s now, so it’s not like he’s going to get any better. Emery has been to the Finals, and Ottawa fans have told me that he can get there again if he is on a good team.
My feeling is that, if they do sign Emery, they’re only going to hold onto him for a year or two until one of their top goalie prospects (Joacim Eriksson or Jakub Kovar) are ready to step in. Then again, there are also rumors of Daniel Briere and a draft pick being shipped to Montreal for Carey Price and Mike Komisarek… we’ll have to wait until late June to see what happens.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
It is easier to rattle Crosby than Malkin.
so thats why you guys shout crosby sucks all the time when we play philly. hows that working out for you guys?
" I AM CAPATIN CHAOS, and this is my trusty Sidekick cato. Say hello Cato"
Dom Deluise 1933-2009, Cannonball run
by oldtimehockey09 on Jun 6, 2009 2:45 AM CDT up reply actions
I mean on the ice, Bubba.
It is easier to rattle Crosby on the ice than it is to rattle Malkin on the ice. I’m talking about interactions between the players, not between the players and fans.
People chant “Crosby sucks” for several reasons. We realize that he is a good player, so by doing our chant we are not saying that he is lousy. We chant because:
1. He complains far too often. Any time I’ve been to a Flyers-Penguins game in person, he always talks to the refs if there is a penalty against his team while he is on the ice. And I’m not making that up, either. During last season’s Conference Finals, the television on-ice mics picked up bits of a conversation between Crosby and one of the refs, with Derian Hatcher standing by. Hatcher turned to Crosby and said something to the effect of, “You complain about EVERY f*****g call, you f*****g crybaby!”
2. It’s fun. Why do you think Rangers fans still chant “Potvin sucks!” after all these years? We like to try to get under the skin of opposing star players.
3. It’s funny. As passionate as Philadelphia fans are, there is a tongue-in-cheekiness to some of what we do. It’s part of who we are, and it’s hard to explain. But if you grew up here you’d understand.
Yes your Penguins are the dominant PA team right now, but I wouldn’t expect it to stay that way for too much longer. The Flyers’ all-time regular season record against Pittsburgh is 132-80-30. (I included OT wins and losses in the win and loss totals here.)
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Why no mention of the PP kill on that bulleted list? I think that’s 10 times more important than putting Kronwall or Stuart on a seek-and-destroy mission, or having Zetterburg change up his play on Crosby:
- Seek-and-Destroy = running around out of position, and getting beat by the Pens skill guys on odd-man rushes, or generating even more defensive breakdowns.
- Freeing up Crosby means more offensive chances for him. Crosby > Zetterberg when it comes to putting points on the board.
Both those are net-loss propositions for the Wings. If the Wings don’t allow 2 powerplay goals in Game 3, they would have had a much better chance of winning it. Also, the Pens special teams are +5 in this series.
I would have but...
the PK is so bad at this point its not going to really improve. Stuart and Kronwall can the turn the hitting on like a switch, not necessarily the same story for the PK
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